I Hate Myself For Loving You
by Regina Hyde
Summary: Emma Swan has always been curious, but when she meets a certain brunette she wants to know everything. By now, Regina Mills has learnt not to trust anyone, under any circumstances. Will this inquisitive blonde be able to show her that not everything is as bad as it may seem? Non Magical AU, Rated M for later chapters!
1. Who Are You?

1 - Who Are You?

"Emma! Have you taken the order for table 8 yet?" Granny snapped, from behind the back room.

The young blonde looked up from the steaming coffee machine where she was trying to complete the orders for tables 5 and 10 and rolled her eyes.

"Give me a second Granny!"

"Come on girlie get to it!"

Emma sighed and stacked the first order onto a tray before handing the tray over to Ruby, her brunette coworker.

"Granny's grilling me again, can you get the order for table 8 please?"

"Sure no problem" Ruby said, sweeping off with the tray.

It was 4.30 which meant the after school rush, and as usual they were swamped. Emma had gotten used to rushing straight from her last lesson, arriving with a few seconds to spare and the inevitable disapproving look from Granny. She suffered through serving her fellow students and having to pretend that she didn't want to throw their low fat, almond milk latte with chocolate sprinkles all over their smug faces. Breathe Emma, only an hour and a half until your shifts over!

"1 large black Americano, 1 large cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles and 1 chocolate cookie for table 8" Ruby called, handing her the ticket in exchange for table 10's order.

"On it! Thanks!"

Quickly, Emma made the coffees and put the cookie on a plate and then glanced around for Ruby. She was taking another table's order and Emma could tell the customer was chatty by Ruby's fake smile. She picked up the tray and made her way over to table 8.

"Okay, one large cappuccino?" she asked, smiling.

"That's mine, and the cookie!"

The girl had flame red hair, green eyes and a somewhat untrustworthy smile. Her accent was unmistakably British and Emma wondered if she was new in town.

"And one large black americano"

"Thanks"

That husky voice. She handed the coffee to the redheads companion, a girl with shoulder length black curls and velvety brown eyes. She was stunning, everything from her perfectly arched eyebrow to the hint of cleavage poking out from the top of her shirt. Emma had known she was gay for a long time, luckily her family and friends knew and were very supportive. It also helped that she knew how to deal with petty comments, either ignore them or shut the person down so fast even Usain Bolt would be impressed!

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Emma asked, pretending her mouth wasn't dry and trying not to stare.

"No, were good" the red head said dismissively.

"Thanks" added the brunette, clearly trying to make up for her companions blatant rudeness.

"Okay, well call me if you need anything" she said, before quickly turning and making her way back behind the counter.

She felt her cheeks flush, although she had no idea why. She had barely spoken to the girl and she was a mess.

"Hey Rubes?" she called her friend over quickly, "Who are those girls on table 8?"

"Oh, those are the mayors daughters, Zelena and Regina Mills" Ruby made a funny face.

"Not a fan?"

"I don't know Regina that well, but Zelena was in my college Art class and I have never met anyone so obnoxious and entitled in my entire life!"

"Are either of them in college at the moment?" and then quickly added in response to Ruby's raised eyebrow, "They look familiar!"

"Regina might be, I think she's about your age"

"Oy! I don't pay you to sit around and chat" scolded Granny, from behind the counter.

"Noses to the grindstone!" Ruby said, turning and heading over to check on the customers.

* * *

"You know you can actually be polite sometimes?" Regina said, glaring at her half-sister.

"But then people might get the idea I respect them, and I can't have that!" Zelena said, her mouth full of cookie.

Raising an eyebrow in distaste, Regina took a sip of her coffee. She wished for the 4 millionth time that Zelena had never come back from England when Regina was 12. It had blown her world apart and she was paying for it every day.

"You know, that waitress was staring at you!" Zelena said, nonchalantly taking a sip of coffee.

Glancing up, Regina made eye contact with the pretty blonde who quickly looked away and busied herself with the coffee machine. Probably just another person gawking at the mayors daughter. People tended to do that, it was almost like being a celebrity in Storybrooke to be related to the formidable Cora Mills.

"So?" Regina replied, coldly.

If her sister mentioned something, she nearly always had an ulterior motive.

"Maybe you should ask if she wants an autograph? A photo?" her sister snapped bitterly.

Ever since Regina could remember, Zelena had always made jabbing remarks about how everyone loved Regina and she got everything while she was an outcast. It was so far from the truth she wanted to laugh but there was no use trying to convey that to Zelena. She had already decided she was the victim and clearly was determined to milk every minute of it.

"Shut up Zelena and eat your cookie!"

* * *

As the clock struck 6, Emma and Ruby made their way into the back.

"68 coffees and 29 cakes" reported Ruby.

Granny always liked to know the exact number of everything they had served.

"Good shift, have a good night Emma" Granny said, giving her compliments in her usual deadpan way.

"Night Granny. Bye Rubes, see you on Friday!" Emma said, giving her friend a hug.

Ruby was Granny's actual granddaughter and both lived above the cafe. Making her way out of main cafe, Emma grabbed her rucksack and left her apron on the hook before sliding into her yellow bug. Time to go home.

* * *

"Mum, Dad, I'm home!" she called, as she barrelled through the front door.

"Hi sweetie, how was your day?" called her mother Mary-Margaret from the living room.

She was slumped on the sofa next to David, her dad and both were watching TV.

"Good thanks, I'm starving though?"

"Pizza will be here in 10 minutes" David said, not looking away from the screen.

"You got pepperoni?"

"Obviously!" David looked mildly offended as Emma grinned and collapsed on the opposite sofa.

* * *

"The gallery was so enlightening. I learnt a lot about human nature"

Regina kept her head down and ate her quinoa salad in silence. Zelena had been droning on about her stupid gallery visit for the last hour. She was unbelievably pretentious and Regina wished her sister would stop talking for once. Her mother was listening intently to her daughter go on making up pretentious rubbish and nodding encouragingly. Sometimes, Regina wondered if Cora sometimes felt guilty about abandoning her eldest for the first 14 years of her life and tried to make up for it by fawning over her. As a result, Regina had faded into the background but due to her mothers habit of criticizing every little thing that wasn't always a bad thing! Exhaling deeply, she let her mind wander. Inexplicably, her thoughts went to the blonde waitress she had met earlier. She didn't know why, but something about her had caught her attention. No! She'd been suppressing her urges for so long now. She could never tell her mother, never tell anyone. As if people needed another reason to stare at her! Still, she could dream couldn't she?


	2. No Reason!

2 - No Reason!

When Emma pulled into the school car park, she systematically scanned the area. No sign of her. She should really stop, she was getting obsessive but something about Regina Mills had caught her eye.

"Morning Emma!" her friend Killian's voice jolted her out of her daze.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not much, you think you might actually show up for tutor today?" he teased.

"Will you?" she shot back, knowing full well that he knew as well as she did how pointless tutor meetings were.

"Hey wait up!" turning, they saw Robin running after them.

"Oversleep again?" teased Killian, grinning.

"Hey, I'm 5 minutes early actually!" said Robin, as he skidded to a halt beside them.

"Oh look, 2 losers and a lesbian walk into a room. This sounds like the worst joke ever!"

Turning the trio saw the 3 most popular girls in school giggling and pointing.

"Good job Mal, we've never heard that one before!" snapped Killian, sarcastically.

The blonde just smiled and Ursula and Cruella waved as they passed, smiling sickeningly sweetly.

"You okay Emma?" Robin's voice was filled with concern.

"Robin, she just called me a lesbian. That's exactly what I am, it's not an insult!" reassured Emma, as they entered the cafeteria were they spent most of their free time.

"Oh, I meant to ask you guys, do you know if Regina Mills goes to this school?" she desperately tried to sound casual but was fairly sure she was unsuccessful.

"What the mayor's daughter?" asked Killian, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, she's in my biology class. I can see why you're into her, she is smoking hot!" grinned Robin, seeing the blush creep up Emma's neck.

"I'm not into her!" she said, a little too quickly, "She was just at Granny's the other day and seemed familiar!"

"Sure!" Robin and Killian exchanged knowing looks and Emma batted her hand at them but her mind was racing. So she did go to this school! Somehow, she was going to bump into her again.

* * *

This was desperate, she knew that and yet still here she was stood outside of Robin's biology class. She was under the pretence of waiting for Robin, but really was hoping to catch just a glimpse of the brunette that haunted her every minute. She saw Dr. Whale dismiss them and everyone started to pack up. The door opened and she stepped back as students started to flood into the corridor. Finally, there she was. She was dressed in a blue top and black pencil skirt, showing off her curves beautifully and she made direct eye contact with Emma as she exited the room. For a brief moment, brown eyes locked onto blue and then all too quickly, Regina bowed her head and made her way down the corridor. Without even thinking about it, Emma's eyes fell on the girls swinging ass, admiring the way her skirt hugged it.

"She is something else isn't she?"

Robin's voice jolted her out of her fantasy and glancing over, she saw his eyes exactly where hers had just been fixated.

"This is a nice surprise Emma, I wonder what inspired you to wait outside this classroom?" Robin made a big show of dramatically tapping his forehead in an over exaggerated thinking gesture.

"Oh shut it you!" Emma said, heading off down the corridor.

He laughed and quickly caught up with her.

"So, you gonna talk to her or just casually stalk her for the rest of the year?"

"Robin, I swear to god mind you own..."

"Well, if you're not interested I can have her?"

"No!" Emma said, before she could catch herself.

"Got it, that fine ass is yours!" Robin raised his hands in surrender, but smirked knowing he'd won.

* * *

It was later that evening and Emma was doing her homework at the kitchen table while her mum cooked.

"Hey mum?" said Emma, before her better judgement got the better of her, "What do you know about the Mills family?"

"As in Mayor Mills?" Mary-Margaret asked, a little surprised by her daughters sudden curiosity.

"Well, let's just say Madame Mayor is known for her tightness, unwilling to spend money on anything the town actually needs and keeping it to herself. Her husband, bless him, Henry is a lovely man but never stands up to her" Mary-Margaret continued to slice up carrots as she spoke.

Emma was listening to every word, "What about their daughters?"

"Oh right, well Regina's spent her whole life there, that's the younger one. She was always such a sweet little girl, loved horse riding. Now Zelena, isn't Henry's daughter so as far as I know Cora sent her to England with her father. When she was 14, her father died and she moved back to Storybrooke. It can't be easy for her! Anyway, what brought on this sudden curiosity?"

"Oh no reason, the girls just came into Granny's the other day and I wasn't sure I'd seen them before"

"Oh, you and Regina used to take horse riding lessons together when you were little!" Mary Margaret said, going over to a draw, "I think I have some photos somewhere, oh here we go"

Emma took the photo. It showed a very little Emma, couldn't have been more than 5, sat astride a big white horse smiling widely. Next to her, on a black horse sat a very young Regina, with long flowing black hair and a smile that lit up the entire photo. They both looked so happy together and Emma couldn't help but smile. When she thought her mother wasn't looking, she took a photo of the picture on her phone and quickly placed it back in the drawer.

"How could I not know she went to my school?!" she wondered aloud, picking a piece of carrot out of the pile before Mary-Margaret could slap it away.

"Wait until dinner young lady! And Regina's pursuits were always a little more" she fumbled for the right word, "academic than yours!"

"I am offended!" said Emma, but knew her mother had a point. She was studying art, photography and media, not the most academic of choices but she had never been very good at exams.

"You know what I mean? From what I heard she wants to go to med school"

Damn, she was so out of her league it hurt. Intelligent and beautiful!

"Why are you so interested?" her mother said, shooting her a knowing smile.

"No reason, I just recognised her but couldn't place it!" Emma sighed, exasperated.

Why couldn't everyone just accept her curiosity at face value? Not that that was all it was but still, she had hoped she wasn't quite so transparent. Every time she looked up, she saw her mother grinning at her to the extent that she eventually had to go upstairs to finish her media work!

* * *

The next day, Emma and Killian were sat in Miss Tink's art class nervously waiting for her give them the grades for their latest pieces. The brief had been an anatomical statue, Emma was nervous about her anatomically correct heart which she had painted with classic love symbols such as roses. Killian had assured her it was good but she was worried it was a little cheesy. Slowly, Miss Tink went through the class until she reached Emma.

"Alright Emma, your piece was of a very high standard as usual but I'm afraid it lacked a little originality. I'm afraid I can only give you a C+" Tink said, gently.

Emma's face fell a little but she nodded. The feedback was fair enough.

"How did you do?" she asked, turning to Killian.

"B+" he said, smiling.

"That's great, you definitely deserve it!" Emma smiled.

"Alright guys, listen up!" Miss Tink brought their attention back.

"Alright, your next topic is similar to the last one but the key word is 'human'" she said, writing it up on the board.

Suddenly, an idea hit Emma like a tsunami. Human? What if she drew a representation of the struggle between good and bad, the constant battle between the conscious and unconscious desires on someone's body? Literal human art! She quickly whispered her idea to Killian, who replied that it was a great idea. Well, much more original than her last idea anyway! Now all she had to do was find a model. She had someone in mind immediately. Now all she had to do was convince her!


	3. Everywhere I Turn

3 - Everywhere I Turn

"There's no way in hell you are dragging me to see a stupid Disney film!" Killian said, as Emma widened her eyes and did her best to look convincing.

Her eyes shifted to Robin who immediately raised his hands, "Don't look at me! I'm seeing my maths tutor after school, I can't"

"You guys suck!" Emma pouted, stealing a crisp from Killian and crunching it defiantly.

"Look, it's been out for weeks, you should have just gone with Lily and Anna when they went!"

"I couldn't go I was so behind! Plus, Moana's not like a Disney princess film..."

"Not going to happen love, sorry!" Killian reiterated, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, I'll go by myself!" she said, "Oh wait, maybe Henry'll go with me" she pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text to her younger cousin.

 _Hey kid, wanna go see Moana after school with me? - Ex_

"I really need more friends!" she said, realising how sad she looked at the moment.

"You wound us!" Robin said, clutching at his heart.

 _Definitely what time? - H_

 _I'll pick you up around 4.45? - Ex_

 _Great thanks, can we get ice cream? - H_

 _Sure, but don't tell your mum - Ex_

She liked Henry's mum but she could be a little strict sometimes.

"Right, I've got maths now" said Robin as the bell rang, "You want to come see if you can stalk your girlfriend again? I can't remember if she's in my class actually"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Emma flushed, slapping his arm.

"Oh sorry fantasy!"

"Fuck off Locksley!"

He grinned widely at her and then headed off followed by Killian who had Chemistry. Emma was left alone and headed off to self study to try and get some of her work done. Sliding into a spare desk, she pulled out her earphones and started working. But, she had never been very good at concentrating and in a matter of minutes her mind was wandering. As it was last period, she expected the room to be practically empty except for a couple of students desperately trying to finish of assignments before looming deadlines; so when the door opened she didn't even glance up expecting it to be Mal or any other usual slacker. However, when someone slid into the seat a row in front and just to her left she glanced up and stopped. How was it possible to have not noticed someone for 17 years and then suddenly they start appearing everywhere!? Guess she isn't in Robin's maths after all! As she shrugged off her thick black coat, a deep purple silk blouse was revealed that hugged her figure beautifully and Emma couldn't help but sigh a little. Luckily, Regina seemed oblivious to her presence and quickly began making notes from her textbook. As much as Emma tried to focus, she couldn't help admiring the way the fabric hugged her breasts and slim waist. Get a grip Emma!

* * *

She pulled up on the street outside Henry's house a little early but saw her little cousin eagerly sat on his porch. She pushed the door open for him and he scrambled inside grinning, "Hi Emma!"

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"Not much, although I'm doing this class project..." quickly he launched into a speech about how excited he was about his newest project which focused on fairy tales, "If you were a Disney princess, I think you'd be Pocahontas. Way too bad ass to were pretty dresses and just sit down and let people walk all over you"

"Thanks kiddo, I always thought the princesses were a little bit pathetic anyway. That's why I wanna see Moana, she sees pretty bad ass" said Emma, smiling.

"I know, this film looks really cool" Henry grinned, excitedly, "Can we get popcorn?"

"Okay, we either get popcorn during the movie or we go out afterwards and get ice cream before I take you home. What'll it be?" she asked, as they pulled into the car park.

"Can't I have both?" he asked, doing his best puppy dog face not unlike the one Emma had done earlier. Sometimes she forgot how alike they really were.

"Your mother will shoot me if I bring you home hyper on sugar. So, which is it ice cream or popcorn?"

"Hmm, ice cream!" said Henry, "You get more choice and you can have sprinkles!"

"Good thinking, now come on let's go!"

The cinema was practically empty as the film had been out for several weeks, when they walked in to the cinema there was only one other person sat in the comfy red chairs. She could see the back of a head and dark hair sat in the back corner obviously trying to avoid being seen. Henry raced to the front and sat right in the middle seat and Emma followed slowly, trying to see who it was. She caught a glimpse of plump red lips and big brown eyes before quickly sitting next to Henry and fixing her eyes straight ahead. Luckily, Henry was too excited as the lights went down to notice the blush creeping across his face. Oh god! Why did she have to be everywhere? But she didn't get a look maybe it wasn't her anyway. Robin's use of fantasy earlier was staring to seem uncomfortably accurate and Emma was starting to wonder if the girl had put some kind of spell on her! She tried to absorb herself in the film and for the most part it worked.

"Oh my god that was so good!" Henry chattered as they emerged squinting in the harsh lights of the lobby.

"I know that was awesome!" said Emma, too busy glancing at the kid to notice the girl in front of her before she crashed into her knocking her to the ground.

"Oh my god I am so sorry!" babbled Emma, immediately reaching her hand out and helping the girl back to her feet.

"That's alright" said Regina, avoiding eye contact as she smoothed out her tight black high-waisted jeans and purple blouse, "It's no problem"

"No I'm sorry I should have been looking where I was going! Hey, you're Regina right? You're in Robin's biology class?" said Emma, deciding it was now or never in terms of talking to Regina.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I don't know your name?" said Regina, shortly still looking down nervously.

"Emma, Emma Swan" she said, smiling, "So did you enjoy the film?"

"Yeah I did, I tried to get Graham to come with me but he didn't seem keen!" she said, seemingly growing slightly more open to talking.

"Hey, I'm here with my little cousin Henry" she gestured to the kid who was asking the ticket sales guy if he could buy a poster, "He's the only one I could convince to go with me!"

Regina laughed and Emma thought about how that laugh could light up the entire room.

"Hey, where are you heading now?" she didn't know where all this courage came from but she was definitely going to use it.

"I should head home, I've got a lot of homework to do" she avoided eye contact again. It was as if her walls had gone up again and Emma suddenly needed to know why.

"Well, we're heading to Every Given Sundae to get ice cream, we can give you a lift or you could come with us if you want?" suddenly it was Emma's turn to avoid eye contact.

There were a few seconds of silence and in those seconds Emma had never been more nervous. Had she overstepped the mark? She'd actually know Regina for no more than a few seconds and she was already asking her to join them for ice cream. Nice job Emma, completely freak her out.

"Sure, I could do with some ice cream. If that's okay, you know..." Regina suddenly became awkward again.

"No, no bother" Emma smiled in relief as Henry bounced back over, "Henry this is Regina, she's going us for ice cream. Regina, this is Henry"

"Nice to meet you" said Henry, grinning.

"And you" Regina smiled back, and although it was a little forced Emma couldn't see any signs of any actual dislike.

 _So she doesn't hate kids._

* * *

"Okay, can we have 1 rocky road with a flake and chocolate sprinkles, one chocolate with rainbow sprinkles in a waffle cone and...what do you want Regina?" asked Emma, turning briefly from giving Ingrid her order.

"Pistachio with chopped nuts, in a cup please" said Regina, quickly.

 _So she's a girl who knows what she wants_. Emma added that to her mental list trying to ignore how creepy that was. It's not like I'm stalking her I'm just curious, she repeated to herself.

They took a table in the corner and Ingrid brought them over smiling.

"Good to see you again Emma and Henry" she said as she set down their ice creams, "How did your project on seahorses go?"

"Good, I got an A" Henry grinned, taking a big lick of his ice-cream.

"And who is your friend, I don't think I've seen you before" Ingrid smiled sweetly at Regina.

"Regina, nice to meet you"

"Well, you made a good choice. I love pistachio!"

"It's my favourite!" said Regina, smiling shyly.

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys to it. Nice to meet you"

"You've never been here before?" asked Emma, as Ingrid made her way back to the counter.

"No, I don't eat ice cream that often" she said, looking down.

"Oh you are missing out! This is the best ice cream in Maine!" she said before raising her voice, "Isn't that right Ingrid?"

"You know it!" Ingrid called from the back making Regina smile.

She popped the plastic spoon into her mouth tasting the ice cream and closed her eyes for a minute focusing on the taste. Emma tried to ignore the way her stomach twisted at the sight and said, "See told you"

"It is good!" she admitted, smiling.

"So, you're studying biology right? What else?" said Emma, casually trying to make Regina more comfortable. Although she was talking freely Emma noticed her shoulders were a little tense and she still kept glancing out the window as if worried she would see someone.

"Chemistry and History"

"Wow, that's a heavy load! I don't envy you"

"What about you?"

''Well, I'm a lot less academic than you! I do media, art and photography"

"That's really cool! I'm not a big fan of art to be honest but I like photography"

"You just haven't seen the right kind of art yet! I'm sure I could find something you would like!"

"Good luck!" Regina raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at her and immediately Emma knew she had to accept the challenge. She would find some art Regina liked!

Suddenly, her phone rang and glancing down she looked up at Regina and said, "I'm really sorry, I have to take this!"

"Absolutely, that's no problem" said Regina, taking another scoop of ice cream.

Emma made her way outside and answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Oh hi Emma, it's Lily"

"Hi Lily, what's up?"

* * *

"So, are you Emma's friend?" asked Henry, looking at Regina who was shifting nervously in her chair.

"Yeah, something like that. We go to school together" said Regina, smiling at the inquisitive boy in front of her.

"I'm doing a project on Disney princesses and you look a lot like Snow White" he said, thoughtfully.

"Well thank you, but I always preferred the villains!" said Regina, grinning.

"The villain's always look really cool and they get the best songs!" said Henry, smiling at Regina.

He liked her, she seemed fun and he could tell Emma liked her a lot. He had always been good at reading Emma, maybe it was because they were so alike.

"Damn it!" said Emma, throwing her phone on the table as she sat back down.

"Bad news?" Regina inquired, pretending to be disinterested.

"I'd planned a photo-shoot for tomorrow for a project that needs to be edited, printed and presented by Friday and my model's just dropped out!" Emma raked a hand through thick blonde hair in frustration.

"Well, can't you use some your other models?" she asked, taking the spoon out of her mouth with a pop.

"I need someone with dark hair and Lily was the only one that fit that criteria" she said, frustrated.

The answer seemed so obvious to Henry that he couldn't help himself from saying, "Why can't you do it Regina?"

Both girls look slightly stunned at the idea and Regina's cheeks flushed a little.

"Oh, I don't know...I'm not very photogenic..." mumbled Regina, looking down and fiddling nervously with her collar.

"I'm sure that's not true" said Emma, a little too quickly before saying, "I could really use your help Regina"

Uncertain brown eyes flicked between Henry, Emma's pleading eyes and the table. Emma could tell the entire subject was making her uncomfortable and if she did accept it it would be completely out of her comfort zone.

"When?" she asked slowly.

"How's 3.20, directly after school?" Emma asked, "We can change it to whatever suits you. Please, I really need you"

Regina took a deep breath before saying, "3.20 sounds great!"

"Thank you so much! Look I'll buy you another ice cream on me!" said Emma standing up.

"No no, you don't need to..." Regina started, nervously shifting.

"I want to! Pistachio again?" Emma was already at the counter and Regina smiled.

"You know what, surprise me!" she said, "But no cone, I don't like cones"

"Got it!"

Quickly, Emma got the ice cream, paid and then went back over to the table. She placed the cup in front of her and sat down smiling eagerly.

"What is it?" Regina's eyebrow was up again.

"Guess?"

"I don't like guessing" she said.

"Come on, just for fun!"

Regina took the spoon and placed it into her mouth. Her eyes flickered shut again and Emma grinned.

"Apple?" Regina asked, removing it with a pop.

"Apple and cinnamon" said Emma, smiling.

"I love apples"

"You'd make a good Evil Queen!" exclaimed Henry suddenly.

"Woah hey kid!" said Emma, immediately worried that he had offended her.

"No it's fine" Regina laughed, "I'd like to play the evil queen!"

"You know, we would make a pretty good film!" Henry said, "The heroic princess, the evil queen..."

"And the young knight destined to save them both!" finished Regina smiling.

"That is a fantastic idea, thanks Regina!" said Henry, grinning.

Regina smiled, finally feeling wanted.


	4. Can

4 - Can't Help Myself

She had definitely made a mistake. As she nervously glanced at herself in the mirror, she fiddled we with her hair and swallowed. Nothing too bright, that was the only instructions Emma had given her so after much deliberation she chose a black pencil skirt, burgundy blouse and her black coat to keep out the winter chill.

"Where are you going?" Zelena's voice cut through her thoughts making her jump.

Turning to see her sister lurking in the doorway, she replied curtly, "I'm helping a friend with a school project"

"Is he cute?" asked Zelena, smirking confident she had something to hold against her sister.

"It's a she, nice try though!" said Regina, smirking right back as Zelena's grin faltered.

"Yeah right" she tried to regain herself but Regina knew she had won.

"Got to go sis!" she said, grabbing her bag and zipping up her knee length black boots.

"I'll tell mother that you're sneaking out to go on a date!" yelled Zelena, as Regina confidently pushed past her.

"Lie all you like Zelena!" she called over her shoulder, not willing to spend anymore time in her sisters company.

Zelena glowered before storming off down the corridor and Regina couldn't help but smile when she heard the door slam.

* * *

Emma fiddled with her camera lens for the four hundredth time before forcing herself to stop. It was just like any of her other shoots, if she thought about it Lily was cute, taking photos a beautiful woman was what normally happened. Oh who was she kidding? Regina wasn't beautiful, she was mind numbingly gorgeous. Actually, thinking about it, this was an excuse to stare at her for a while so she should be counting her lucky stars. At that moment, Regina's sleek black Mercedes pulled into the car park where they had agreed to meet and Emma tried to ignore her increased heart rate. She held her breath as Regina stepped out of her car, looking stunning as usual, her keys in one hand and a takeaway coffee from Granny's in the other. Without even thinking, Emma held up her camera and took a photo as Regina walked towards her. As Regina arrived Emma grinned and showed her the photo, stating teasingly "and you said you weren't photogenic!"

Regina flushed and looked down smiling nervously.

"Is this okay?" she gestured, to her attire.

"It's perfect!" grinned Emma, "I wanted to take some photos in the alley a few blocks down because the lightings really good"

"Alright!"

When they reached the alley, Regina stood against the wall and suddenly became uncomfortably aware of all of her limbs. Her legs felt awkward and she didn't know what to do with her arms.

"So um, what do you need me to do exactly?"

"Okay, so basically the theme is light and dark. I used Tink earlier to get the light side so I'm using you to represent dark. So no smiling, try and look dark"

The first few photos came out a little awkward and Emma started to worry that maybe she had made a mistake. Then Regina seemed to relax into it and all doubts left her. The way she glared into the camera actually made Emma feel like she'd done something wrong. When she brought out an evil little smirk Emma felt a rush of heat straight between her legs. After a mere 20 minutes, Emma called to Regina that she had got what she needed and immediately she relaxed into her normal composure.

"Was it okay?" she asked, a little nervously as she had no idea what she was doing.

"It was perfect! That was the fastest I've ever got a shoot done, have you ever done any modelling before?" asked Emma, cringing at how that sounded like a crappy chat up line.

"No, no that was my first time!"

"Well you were amazing! Anyway, do you want to go get coffee or do you have to head home?" she tried to keep her voice normal and not sound as desperate as she was.

"I'd love to get coffee but I really need to get home" said Regina, and Emma thought she heard a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Oh okay, well I'll see you tomorrow then Regina, thank you again! You've saved my life!"

"Bye Emma" laughed Regina, heading over to her car.

Emma watched her leave, the way her ass swayed when she walked and how her outfit highlighted all of her beautiful curves. Then she shook her head, climbed into her old bug, which started on the second attempt, and headed home.

* * *

Having spent the next hour editing the photos, Emma was in serious need of a break. Not just because of how long she'd been curled in the same position but the fact she'd been looking at pictures of Regina making eye contact with that sexy little smirk on her face. It was driving her insane and she knew she would eventually have to take care of the problem. Putting her laptop down, she glanced around and sat still for a moment listening. It seemed like her parents still hadn't gotten home from work yet so she headed into her bedroom. Lying on the bed, she traced a hand along her body, between the valley of her breasts and circling her stomach. With a sigh, she imagined pulling Regina tightly against her and slamming their lips together. Threading her fingers through her soft dark hair and pulling softly, making Regina moan and giving Emma access to her throats which she peppered with kisses. Slowly, Emma undid her jeans and slid her hand under the waistband. God, she was dripping wet! How could someone have such a dramatic effect on her? Gently running her finger through her folds she imagined it was Regina's long elegant fingers which moved to gently squeeze her clit making her back arch. Slowly, she pushed two fingers inside of herself and began to pump. She groaned as her mind conjured up pictures of Regina's naked form lying on top of her as she pushed her fingers in and out at a punishing pace. Reaching her other hand down, she rubbed slow circles on her clit causing her to groan out loudly, "Oh God Regina!"

She felt herself getting closer and closer as she imagined Regina looking down at her with that sexy little smirk on her face, that was until she slowly moved down her body to bury her tongue between Emma's legs. With these images swirling through her mind it wasn't long until Emma's felt her walls tighten around her fingers and she screamed out Regina's name as she came hard, coating her fingers. She lay still for a little while, just letting the waves of her orgasm wash over her until finally she got up to clean herself up. It scared her how hard she was falling for this girl, a girl who probably didn't even like women that way.

* * *

"How are you feeling about this project?" asked Killian, as he set up his display on the bench next to Emma's.

"A lot better than the art one" she glanced over at his, which was a series of shots of the sky all taken at different times of day. It was clear he was showing how one thing is not necessarily light or dark but a mixture of both. She noticed Killian grinning at her and asked suspiciously, "What?"

"I see you have a new model" he pointed at the side of her desk filled with pictures of Regina.

Emma couldn't help the blush creeping up her cheeks, "Yes I did" she said shortly.

It was then Mr Humbert came to their desks to look at their projects.

"Very good Killian, I see what you're trying to represent and you've done it well!" he complemented Killian who smiled, proud of what he had done.

"Emma" he said, before staring at the display for a long time causing her to fidget nervously.

"This is fantastic, you chose your models very well. Who's this, may I ask?" he said, pointing to one of the photos.

"That's Regina Mills"

"Is she a drama student?"

"I don't think so"

"Well she's very good, you should definitely use her more often. Very good work"

As Mr Humbert walked away a slow smile spread across her face. Killian raised his hand and she high-fived him as he said, "There's an excuse to spend time with her if ever I heard one!"

"Shut up" said Emma, half-heartedly as she knew Killian was right and truth be told she was over joyed!


	5. Dress Shopping

"Regina!" Emma shamelessly shouted down the corridor as she rushed to catch up.

Regina turned looking surprised but when she saw Emma she smiled, "Oh hi Emma"

"So I got an A on my photography thing" she grinned.

"That's amazing! Well done!" said Regina, sounding genuinely happy for her.

"And, my teacher specifically picked you out as one of the best models I've had and said I needed to use you again!"

Regina smiled shyly and Emma saw the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. I've got media now so got to run! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah see you Emma" she said, watching the blonde rush off down the corridor.

"Awww, I see someone's got themselves a pet!"

Immediately, Regina's shoulders tensed and her face hardened. Turning round, she saw Mal sauntering towards her.

"Very funny" Regina's voice was heavy with sarcasm and distaste.

"She's pretty cute" Mal said, thoughtfully.

"I didn't even notice"

Mal narrowed her eyes at her. Despite her ability to be very convincing, infuriatingly Mal seemed to read her like a book.

"She's not your type though!"

Mal's open airing of her sexuality made Regina's cheeks flush and she growled, "Shut up Mal!"

"Now now dear!" she teased, taking a step closer, "You can convince everyone else you're normal but you can't fool me. Not after the way you screamed!"

Regina slapped her arm and glared at Mal, "If you tell anyone, I will stop answering your late night phone calls!"

Finally, the smug expression faltered and it was Regina's turn to smirk. The two stared at each other for a few moments and she could swear she saw Mal's eyes darken.

"I have chemistry" she breezed past Mal, still smirking.

A few steps away, she glanced over her shoulder to see Mal's eyes on her ass. As Mal's eyes snapped up, Regina winked at her and she saw Mal moisten her lips. She was definitely getting that call tonight.

* * *

"How's operation Swan Queen going?" whispered Robin, as their media teacher Miss Lucas.

"Operation what?" deadpanned Emma, looking totally unimpressed.

"You know, you and Regina"

"You are so weird" she tried to brush off the comment, pretending even the mention of Regina's name made her heart rate increase.

"She's gay you know" he remarked, casually.

"What?" Emma's eyes widened.

"Well at least I think she is!"

"You can't bait me like that and then backtrack!" Emma slapped the back of his head causing him to yelp.

"Miss Swan, Mr Locksley, is there a problem?" asked Miss Lucas, as the class turned to face them after Robin's outburst.

"No Miss" Emma smiled sweetly as Robin ruefully rubbed the back of his head, "Not at all"

Deciding to let them be for the time being, Miss Lucas continued with the lesson.

Lowering her voice, Emma hissed, "What makes you think she might be gay?"

"I saw her in the corridor getting really close to Mal, like really close and she winked at her"

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely"

"But she's got a boyfriend doesn't she?"

"Graham Humbert, he's in the year above I think" he said, "But she definitely was flirting with Mal!"

Emma's heart lifted, she might actually have a chance with Regina. A slow smile spread across her face and Robin snickered at her, "You are so whipped"

"Oh shut up" she slapped him again.

"God you're so aggressive" whined Robin.

"Am I going to have to split you up!" said Miss Lucas, clearly agitated at their continued interruption.

"No sorry" said Emma, and Robin nodded in agreement.

She had made up her mind, she was going to ask her about her art project. She wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with it but the idea of being able to run her hands over Regina's smooth bare skin was definitely worth the possibility of being turned down!

* * *

"Regina dear, could you get your sister and tell her dinner is ready" screeched Cora, into the living room where Regina was doing homework.

"Yes mother" she said, carefully packing away her work making sure not to leave anything behind. Her mother hated mess.

Heading upstairs, she knocked on her sister's bedroom door and was greeted with a rude, "What?"

"Dinner's ready"

"Alright!"

Her sisters uncanny ability to seem busy always shocked her as her sister was currently taking a year off before going to university, although that happening seemed unlikely.

As they took their seat, they were presented with a spinach and egg white omelette in line with her mother's usual healthy bland meal choices.

"Now, I hope you girls are preparing for the upcoming charity ball in the town hall on saturday" said Cora, eyes scanning her daughters.

"I'm so excited" said Zelena, "I'm going shopping for dresses tomorrow"

"Excellent, you need to think about that Regina and I assume you'll be taking Graham"

"Of course" said Regina, reminding herself to call and ask him tomorrow.

"Will the whole town be attending?" asked Zelena, trying to seem uninterested but she knew the thought of attention was practically orgasmic for her.

"Naturally dear" said Cora, grinning openly at the thought, "So you both need to look your best"

Regina almost laughed at the mildly threatening tone. She'd have to call Mal and ask her to help her chose something to wear.

* * *

"Okay, you have to try this one!" said Mal, holding up a tight fitting red dress that left very little to the imagination.

"Mal, I'm going to a town charity ball not staring in a Beyonce music video!" said Regina, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, please?" asked Mal, widening her eyes.

After a brief stare off, Regina said, "If you can help me chose 3 dresses that would not give my mother a heart attack, I will try on the dress"

Mal smirked victoriously and went back to flicking through the dress rack.

A few seconds passed before Mal remarked casually, "So, are you going with Graham?"

Regina cringed, she hated talking about her boyfriend, especially to Mal.

"Yes" she said, hoping her short answers would put her off.

Naively so apparently as Mal pressed on, "So you're still with him"

"Mal please" she pleaded, not wanting the lecture.

"It's not fair Regina, it's not fair for you or him. Can't you just tell everyone?"

"You mean...come out?" Regina stuttered, lowering her voice, "No I can't! My mother, everyone else, I can't!"

Mal's eyes softened at the blind panic in Regina's voice and she said softly, "It's alright baby, you don't have to come out. Your secret is safe with me"

Regina shared a rare, genuine smile with Mal before taking the dresses from her and heading to the changing rooms.

"Okay, first one" Regina emerged from the changing room in a tight grey cocktail dress.

"Oh no" said Mal, raising an eyebrow, "How old are you 30? Nope!"

"Don't hold back or anything!" she headed back to the changing room and re-emerged in a tight purple dress.

"Now that's more like it" Mal appreciatively traced down the curve of her side to her narrow waist.

"Yes?" asked Regina, shyly smoothing the skirt.

"Oh yes" said Mal, "Now, I believe there was a red dress you promised to wear"

Regina smirked before slowly heading back to the changing room. A few minutes later (which went agonisingly slowly for Mal), Regina emerged in the dress. The very short skirt stopped just below her ass and the low cut neckline left very little to the imagination. The corner of Regina's mouth crept up as she took a few steps closer to where Mal was sat, mouth hung open. Little known to her however, there were other eyes on her. The changing rooms were very close to the front of the shop so if the few people walking past the store decided to peer in they could see Regina. Oblivious to this, Regina slowly approached Mal, letting her ass swing and keeping her eyes fixed on her. Glancing around quickly, she saw the shop was practically empty, as it was quite late in the evening and then reaching down, pushed Mals knees apart. The older girl fixed her with a hungry stare as Regina slid between her legs and tilted Mal's head up. Leaning down, she kissed Mal lightly, just teasing. Mal reached around and grabbed her ass, grinning as Regina gasped. Quickly, realising she had gotten caught up in the moment Regina quickly stepped back.

"We should get going"

"Let's go back to mine" Mal practically growled.

Outside the shop, Emma's mouth hung open, the coffee in her hand completely forgotten. She didn't even know how she felt. She was overjoyed that Regina was gay, that meant she had a chance. But her with Mal, a pang shot through her. She was nothing like Mal, clearly she wasn't Regina's type. But that dress, oh god that dress. She felt a fire burning inside her and she finally tore herself away from the window, knowing how long she could stand there if she didn't. Fuck it. She grabbed her phone and typed quickly, pressing send before she could overthink it.

 _Hey, I'm doing an art project where i need a model who is willing to let me paint their body, would you be up for it? Ex_

She looked back in, seeing Regina emerge from the changing room with her phone in her hand. Nervously, she tried to read her expression but the girl was giving nothing away. After a few seconds, she slipped her phone into her pocket and walked past Mal towards the counter. Mal couldn't resist bringing her arm down to slap Regina's ass making her leap forward a little. Emma looked away and headed off. A few seconds later her phone buzzed.

 _When and where? Rx_

A slow smile spread across her face. Take that Mal!


	6. Paint Me

**I'm sorry I've been M.I.A. at the moment. I've got exams coming up so I've been swamped with coursework and revision! Hope it was worth the wait!**

CRASH!

Emma winced as she knocked into the chair in the kitchen causing it to skid across the floor. It was 1am and she had come to the conclusion she was starving, so was trying to sneak downstairs without waking her parents. Clearly highly successfully. She reached into the cupboard and pulled out the bag of jelly beans she had hidden behind the cereal from her dad, who had a habit of stealing them when she wasn't looking. Perching herself on the countertop, she started to pick out all the yellow ones as she scrolled through instagram on her phone. Another picture of Tink's car, Ruby on a walk with Dorothy, Robin at his archery competition, Mal. Mal smirking into the camera as if she could see Emma, causing a bolt of jealously to run through her. What did Regina see in her? No longer feeling hungry, she replaced the bag of now predominantly red and green jelly beans and crept back upstairs.

* * *

CRASH!

"Shhhh!" Regina hissed as Mal roughly grabbed her jacket, backing her into a chair, "Won't you wake your parents?"

"They're out!" replied Mal, pulling her back slamming her lips into hers as she slowly pushed the jacket off Regina's slim shoulders.

Regina fiddled with the button on Mal's shirt, never breaking contact as she felt the heat radiating from both of them. She never used to behave like this, somehow Mal made her feel so sexy, so alive and she lived for every moment of it. Finally she pulled open Mals shirt, revealing her bright red lace underneath making her gasp a little. Mal pushed her back, maintaining eye contact on her as she slowly undid her jeans and slid out of them as Regina watched appreciatively. Mal stepped over to her pushing her down onto the bed so she was sat on it before, straddling her. She began to grind her hips against hers, the feeling was incredible and Regina couldn't hold back a moan as Mal pressed a little harder. Graham never made her feel like this.

* * *

"Haven't you left yet, don't you have school?" Zelena sneered at her, as she flounced into the kitchen.

"Graham's picking me up" said Regina, as she took one last sip of coffee before placing the empty mug in the dishwasher.

"How is Graham? Haven't seen him for a while"

"Fine" she was not willing to have this conversation with her nosy sister.

"Regina darling, Graham's outside" called her mother.

"Got to go, sis" she said, grabbing her things and practically running out the door.

She slid into the passenger seat of Graham's black pickup and leant over to kiss her boyfriend. She and Graham had been together for almost a year now, ever since he'd plucked up the courage to ask her to get ice cream after sitting next to her in Chemistry for a year.

"Morning love" he said, smiling.

"Morning" she smiled back, "You busy at lunch?"

"Don't think so" he said, starting the engine and pulling out of her driveway.

"Then let's go to Granny's, lunch is on me" she smiled. She felt bad, she'd been neglecting him recently and she really did enjoy the time they spent together.

"How can I say no to that!" he grinned back, reaching over and gently rubbing her leg.

Guilt, shot through her. She did like Graham, but only as a friend. She wished she was normal, that she could just be happy that she had the best boyfriend in the world. But she thought back to the previous night she had spent in Mal's bed and how incredible it had felt. She and Graham had shared a bed before, but she'd had to fake it every time. She felt cheap doing it but he just didn't make her feel the way girls did. She didn't deserve him.

* * *

A FEW DAYS LATER

There was a knock on the door and Emma made her way to the door nervously. She had made sure her parents were out, she did not need them hanging around, so the house was empty. Opening it, she smiled confidently at Regina trying to seem collected. Regina was dressed in a pair of ripped mom jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt. God how can she look good in that?

"Hi Emma" she smiled nervously.

She had never done anything like this before, it was a long way out of her comfort zone and she was apprehensive.

"Come in!" Emma stood aside and led Regina upstairs to her bedroom.

She had lain out some plastic sheets over her bed, so that Regina could be comfortable as she didn't know how long it was going to take.

"So I'm going to paint your back, is that still okay?" Emma said.

"Yeah that's fine" she said, smiling, "What are you painting?"

"Well, the project is called good and evil, so I'm going to draw half of your back like a monster and the other half with an angel wing"

"That sounds so cool!" the genuine interest in Regina's voice made Emma feel immensely proud.

"Right, so I'm gonna need you to take off your top, and your bra. Don't worry, I'll turn around" said Emma, turning quickly so she wouldn't see her red cheeks.

"You want me on the bed I presume?"

"Err...what?...oh yes" Emma stuttered, "Just let me know when you're ready!"

She heard shuffling as Regina slipped out of her top layers and then moved to the bed. Regina let out a soft gasp as her nipples hit the cold plastic and she prayed Emma hadn't heard. She adjusted herself so she was in a comfortable position and then told Emma she could turn around. Steeling herself for a second, Emma slowly turned round and tried to ignore the fire burning in her chest. Regina's olive skin looked smooth and soft and alluring and Emma couldn't quite believe she was on her bed!

"Okay, so I'm going to start with this side okay" she knelt beside the bed and began to work.

She had been right, Regina's skin was soft and it was all Emma could do to concentrate on the task in hand.

After what felt like seconds for Emma, but was actually half an hour, she had done the sides but now had to do the tricky details in the middle.

"Umm, I'm going to have to sit between your legs to reach the middle bits" said Emma, unsure what reaction this would receive.

"Okay, whatever you need" said Regina, and the thought of that had Emma's mind racing.

As Emma positioned herself, Regina slowly began to spread her legs as Emma slipped herself in the newly made gap. She could feel the heat from Regina's legs and it sent sparks flying through her. She settled into place and began to paint. Without thinking, one of her legs slid forward a little and suddenly was pressed against her crotch. She could have sworn she heard Regina gasp but she wasn't sure enough.

"Maybe it would be easier if I straddled you" said Emma, boldly, unsure of where this sudden confidence came from.

"Okay" said Regina, her voice a little lower than Emma remembered.

She slid back as Regina slid her legs together and Emma spread her legs and slid over her. Due to the paint work, Emma had to sit directly on Regina's ass which was firm but somehow soft when Emma lowered herself onto it. God Emma was dripping wet.

After a few minutes, she was finished. "Okay, I'm done!"

"How do I look?" asked Regina, sounding somewhat apprehensive.

"Well, I'm very happy with it! I need to take some photos, although this isn't the best backdrop. Do you mind going downstairs and standing against the white kitchen wall? I promise, no photos from the front"

"That's okay" said Regina, standing up from the bed, keeping her arms crossed over her chest so she wasn't completely exposed.

"It's this way" Emma tried not to stare at the soft curves she could see.

Regina stood against the wall and Emma took loads of photos, she needed the perfect one to make up for her poor grade last time!

"Alright and we are done! Thank you so much for doing this!"

"That's no problem, I enjoy it!"

"Well, you're the best canvas I've ever had!" she said, making Regina laugh.

"Thank you, you can paint me anytime!"

* * *

Regina had finally left, not that Emma didn't like spending time with her, the opposite was true but the pressure in her underwear was becoming unbearable. She slid off her clothes and jumped into the shower. Her juices had already started dripping down the insides of her thighs and she couldn't take it anymore. She immediately pushed two fingers deep inside her and began to pump hard. She was so close it was a matter of seconds before her eyes closed and her body shook as her orgasm took her.

"Oh god Regina!" she screamed out, as her legs nearly gave way at the power of her orgasm and she had to lean against the wall. Her breathing was ragged and she rode out her high as long as she could. She was in trouble.


End file.
